Exclusive Excerpt From Honestly by V. J. Allison

Honestly by V. J. Allison

Coming August 19, 2022

Love knows no boundaries.

Needing an escape from her grandfather’s outdated and patriarchal views on a woman’s proper place, Dana Campbell flees to her cousin’s cottage on the Nova Scotian coast for some uninterrupted reflection. A trust fund and a prominent name isn’t her idea of happiness, especially if it’s tied to her grandfather’s archaic ideals of marriage. After a failed engagement to a gold-digging fraud, Dana just wants a quiet place where she can evaluate her life and wonder whether she can ever be open about her closeted pansexuality.

A trans man who has faced hatred, Avery D’Eon is happy being inconspicuous. A bad divorce and a family who shuns him make him wary of being in any kind of a romantic relationship. Despite making life altering choices about his body, as well as finding his tribe in the form of his employee, he still battles a sense of emptiness. His world is tossed off kilter by a vivacious and sultry woman sauntering into his store. One look into her beautiful brown eyes, and Avery sees the missing link in his life – someone to love and cherish.

Despite denying their attraction, Avery and Dana find what they need in a hurricane of desire.

But a tragedy close to home forces Dana to make a life-shattering choice – her wealthy family or the man she adores.

EXCERPT

It was the perfect scene, one he would remember for the rest of his life, whether he and Dana stayed together or not. She was a beauty, inside and out, and Avery felt an almost forgotten sentiment rise in his chest.

He could almost picture Dana at the counter like she was now, but in thirty years’ time.

The thought evaporated almost immediately, like dew in the morning sunshine. They were barely dating. It was too early to think about the chances of forever.

He furrowed his brow. When did forever come into the equation? Shouldn’t have he been more wary, just in case she turned out like Samuel?

He nixed the idea in his mind immediately. Dana was nothing like his bigoted ex-husband. Samuel had been cold, distant, and set in his ways. Dana was open, kind, gentle and accepted people for themselves, not who society thought they should have been.

They had only been officially dating for two weeks. There was no way he could have been in love with her already.

Or was he?

Falling in love, especially with someone who could have been going home to the western part of Canada, wasn’t in the plans.

But, here he was, falling for this amazing young woman who loved photography, spoiling her cousin’s child, and who was amazed by the tides of Fundy.

She had broken down every barrier in his mind like they hadn’t been there and worked her way into his heart.

She glanced up. Their eyes met across five feet of carpet.

She smiled, making his heart race, and blood rushing to his groin.

He wanted her. In all ways.

Forever.

Avery suppressed a sigh.

Merde. He was in love with her.